Hot air over Christchurch all for a good cause B

Press, 19 October 1987, Page 25

Hot air over Christchurch all for a good cause B

, A lot of hot air will be released over Christchurch on Labour Day, all in aid of Barnardo’s, the child and family support service. Up to 4500 coloured balloons would be released from Queen Elizabeth II Park during a “balioonorama” extravaganza raffle in an effort to raise $105,000 for Barnardo’s, said the publicity officer, Mrs Lorraine Kibblewhite. The balioonorama would be held in the form of a three-tiered raffle. The buyer would receive a ticket with a number and the organisation would keep a ticket with

the buyer’s name. Another tag with the buyer’s name and telephone number would be tied to a heliumfilled balloon, to be released in the “draw.” The raffle-holder whose balloon travelled the furthest in two weeks would win a Para pool, said Mrs Kibblewhite. People finding balloons would be asked to telephone Barnardo’s. Tickets are being sold at Shell service stations. In a previous balloonorama one balloon had travelled as far as Southland, said Mrs Kibblewhite. Barnardo’s New Zealand was modelled on its British counterpart

founded by Dr Thomas Barnardo but was not autonomous, she said. Unlike the British organisation the New Zealand service worked with families to help them stay together, rather than take children out of broken homes. The organisation was funded partly by the Government and partly by the ♦ users of some of its services, but it still had to come up with the balance of the funding, said Mrs Kibblewhite. More than 600 people worked for Barnardo’s in the South i Island, mainly in Christchurch. The money raised during the balloon raffle

would be spent on the five family day-care projects, two day-care centres and a family support service in Aranui. The support service provided counselling and social contacts as well as offering educational courses on budgeting, parenting and crafts. No money was now sent to the British organisation, as some people still assumed, said Mrs Kibblewhite. A “Barnardo’s money-box” scheme, which sent money to London was dropped in 1969. The British organisation had also returned “every cent” given by New Zealanders to the British service, she said.